Gardenia's Heart

Chapter 40: Bait

When the middle-aged man mentioned he could help Lily take the exam, she almost jumped out of her seat.

“You would do that for me!?” Lily cried, her eyes wide, as if she couldn’t believe such a miracle.

“Calm down,” the man quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, his index finger raised to his lips. “Since it won’t be official, you must keep it a secret, alright, Gloria?”

Nodding vigorously, Lily pretended to wipe her tears with trembling fingers.

“Th-Thank you so much, truly! I never thought I’d find someone so kind outside my village!”

“Of course! In times of hardship, all we need is a helping hand. Rest assured, everything will work out—you have my word!” The man proudly pounded his chest with his fist.

He then rose from his chair and motioned for Lily to stand. With a cheerful expression, he went to one of the shelves, took down a white dress, and placed it in Lily’s hands.

“This dress will suit your hair perfectly, I’m sure of it.”

The garment was made from a light fabric, and despite its simple design, it was likely a dress that a girl from a nameless village could only dream of wearing.

“B-But sir, I don’t have much money right now! I can’t afford this!”

Lily tried earnestly to hand the dress back, but he stopped her with a wave of his hand.

“It’s fine; a lovely young lady like you shouldn’t be meeting a professor from the Mage Academy in such worn clothing. Think of this as a gift from me. I made this dress myself, and after talking with you, I feel it was meant for you, Gloria.”

Even though it was folded, Lily could tell the dress probably only reached slightly below the waist, with a neckline so wide that covering the wearer’s chest would be a joke.

However, hiding any hint of her thoughts, Lily shaped her lips into a smile.

“When I become a great mage, I’ll repay you in any way I can!” After bowing her head gratefully, Lily looked around the shop. “You’ve made so many beautiful dresses—you must have been a tailor for a long time, right?”

“Yes, I learned everything from my father. In fact, I inherited this shop from him; working with fabrics has been the passion of my life, ever since I was a child.”

As the man once more puffed out his chest proudly, Lily rose and bowed again.

“I will never forget this kindness—you have my word. As it’s getting late, I’ll take my leave now. I assume the shop is about to close, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes, it’s already night.” Glancing out the shop window to the street outside, as if he hadn’t realized how late it was, the man cleared his throat with a light cough. “Gloria, a lady shouldn’t walk alone so late. Wouldn’t you prefer to stay here tonight? I can lend you one of my rooms.”

“I-I couldn’t impose on your kindness any further.” Speaking as though embarrassed to have received so many favors, Lily scratched her head before adding, “Actually, I managed to reserve a cheap room at an inn nearby. I’ll come by in the morning to visit again; thank you once more.”

Leaving before the man could say anything more, the moment Lily stepped outside the store, her cheerful expression vanished. She walked quickly back to the alley and leaned against the wall, muttering in a low tone.

“Nia, are we being followed?”

(No, I checked several times. There was only that man in the store, and no one changed their path on the street after you left.)

Hearing her beloved's reassuring answer, Lily looked at the white dress in her hands, which slowly began to freeze as blue crystals wrapped around it. Moments later, a sound like shattering glass echoed as the dress crumbled to pieces on the ground, completely destroyed.

“Talking to that man for so long made me feel sick.”

Sitting down, Lily felt her cloak and dress cover her body once again. Just as she was about to place her hand over her heart to thank Nia, a small, colorless sphere, about thirty centimeters in diameter, appeared on her lap, rubbing eagerly against her stomach.

(Lily, did you make yourself bait?)

Nia’s worried voice made it clear she understood what had happened.

Letting out a soft sigh and feeling her face soften at seeing her beloved so concerned for her, Lily began to gently stroke her gelatinous surface.

“I figured the chances of it being that shopkeeper, or someone connected to him, behind the kidnappings were high. So instead of

As she closed the door behind her, the silver-haired girl could feel the warm steam clinging to her skin.

"Finally~"

In front of Lily was a small bathroom that captivated her attention. Although simple by noble standards, to a young girl from a rural village, the mere existence of a toilet and plumbing seemed otherworldly.

However, it wasn’t these that caught her heterochromatic eyes but rather the structure filled with hot water. The rectangular, simple-looking bathtub appeared to be made of marble, and the water was at the perfect temperature for the skin. Unable to contain the excitement rising in her chest, Lily quickly began to undress.

As she was about to remove her clothes, however, her hands were gently held back by a presence that appeared behind her. Smiling, Lily turned to find her mischievous companion, but as she looked at her, she swallowed without realizing it.

"Allow me to help, my lady."

A black dress with ruffles and a white apron around the waist extended from her neck to just below her knees. Each arm was adorned with a white glove reaching to her forearm with black lace, and a frilly headband held a small section of her purple hair. Beneath the dress, black stockings reached down from her thighs to her feet, which were covered by small, cute baby-doll shoes.

"N-Nia...?"

Unable to keep up with what was happening, Lily was caught off guard again when, instead of her clothes disappearing with a snap of Nia’s fingers, something different occurred.

"Nya~!"

A soft gasp escaped her lips as a slender hand slid down her back, unzipping her black dress. Glancing at Nia in confusion, Lily tried to ask what she intended but was met with her beloved wife nestling her face between her breasts.

"My dear lady has worked so hard today. I cannot allow her to keep pushing herself, so tonight, please let this humble maid tend to her needs."